Australia click into gear at ICC U/19 CWC

Australia 316-9 (50 overs, T.Cooper 104, A.Finch 74, D.Warner 54, C.Alexander 4-47); South Africa 141 (34 overs). Australia won by 175 runs.

Australia put their indifferent form in the warm-up matches emphatically to one side with a crushing win over Group B rivals South Africa in the ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup clash at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Sunday.

They may have lost both those warm-up matches, to Pakistan and India, but when it counted the 1988 and 2002 champions clicked into gear at just the right time.

Australia's massive total of 316-9 was built around man of the match Tom Cooper's high-class 104 and the middle-order batted around him with attractive contributions from Aaron Finch, David Warner and captain Moises Henriques.

Then Australia showed no mercy with the ball, dispatching South Africa for 141 in just 34 overs with Simon Keen and Henriques capturing three wickets each while Ben Cutting took 2-24.

It puts Australia in prime position to qualify for the Super League quarter-finals while South Africa will have to win their remaining group matches, against the West Indies and the United States of America, to give themselves a realistic chance of progress.

Australia were 4-2 at one stage after being put into bat but that early trouble soon became a distant memory as Cooper made 104 from 148 balls, including 12 fours and a six.

He found support from captain Henriques (37), vice-captain Finch (74) and Warner (54) and they combined to put the South Africa bowlers to the sword.

Henriques and Cooper added 100 for the third wicket and then Finch and Cooper added a further 120 for the fourth wicket.

Henriques, Finch and Warner all scored at better than a run-a-ball and South Africa were unable to stem the flow of runs despite captain Craig Elgar using eight bowlers.

Opening bowler Craig Alexander was the one bowler who posed a constant threat to Australia's dominance as he finished with 4-47, while Brett Thompson chipped in with the wickets of Cooper and Finch to finish with 2-19 from four overs.

Malusi Siboto was harshly treated and his five overs cost 37 runs before he was replaced by super sub Jean Symes. But Symes was scarcely more successful and ended up with five overs himself, bowled at a cost of 36 runs.

Faced with having to score at better than a run-a-ball right from the start of their innings South Africa were hampered by the regular loss of wickets and only Symes, with an unbeaten 34, passed 30.

Both sides are part of Group B that also includes 2004 runners-up the West Indies and the USA, taking part for the first time. Only two sides can progress to the Super League quarter-final with the tournament's final set to be contested on 19 February.